Neymar, the team's captain and the country's biggest soccer
star, converted the fifth and final penalty kick to win the game.
Afterwards — indeed, almost at the exact moment the ball
appeared to cross the goal-line — Neymar broke down in tears like
we've never seen him before.

Here's Neymar:

Andre Penner/AP

His teammates didn't even have time to mob him before the tears
were pouring down his face:

Andre Penner/AP

It's a terrific moment — not just for Neymar, but for the entire
country. Brazil, somehow, had never won a gold medal in Olympic
men's soccer, and to do it on their home turf is special.
What's even more special is that they managed to do it
against Germany, the country that beat them in the World Cup
semifinal, 7-1, back in 2014. That game, remember, was also
in Brazil and considered a national embarrassment.

The pressure on the Brazilian soccer players was enormous, and
nobody felt that more than Neymar. He faced harsh
criticism leading up to the Games, and throughout his side's
lackluster start to the tournament the weight fell on his
shoulders.

But in the final, the Barcelona star showed why he's one of the
best in the world. In the first half, he put the host nation
in the lead with a picture-perfect free kick. The ball curled
over the wall and hit the bottom of the crossbar, bouncing down
and across the line.

The goalie had no chance, even if he was just fingertips away:

Paul
Gilham/Getty

Germany equalized in the second half, which set up the dramatics
in extra time and then penalty kicks.

The decision to have Neymar shoot fifth was certainly a
questionable one. If a Brazilian player had missed, there
could have been a scenario in which Germany won and Neymar
wouldn't even had had a chance to shoot. Imagine the
critics if that had happened.

Luckily, it didn't. Instead, we get the ending to the Olympic
soccer that Brazil deserves.